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Chiberta
A New Life for a True
Classic
PARIS – I have in my worn files a photo of Guy
Savoy that I took in 1981, a year after he opened his
first restaurant. Lean, black bearded, smiling as ever,
he’s cooking with two young assistants in his then
eponymous restaurant on Rue Duret in the 16th arrondissment.
My notes say ” Savoy may have something here. He’s
not just another fresh-faced kid making a splash.” In
a subsequent interview he noted: I don’t pour over
the kitchen, testing and re-testing. When dishes come,
they come out right the first time. I think of things
to make on my way back from the market in my truck.”
Then, I was wowed by his warm duck salad on a bed of
wilted spinach and a touch of foie gras, and his always
outstanding millefeuille, reflecting his formal training
as a pastry chef. Savoy had no Michelin stars at the
time, but certainly was on his way to one.
At the same time, one of the hottest tables in town
was Chiberta, a streamlined Art Deco restaurant with
lots of glamour and trendy nouvelle cuisine, as well
as simple straightforward fare as a summer orange and
strawberry soup with fresh mint.
Today, the Guy Savoy-Chiberta routes meet, as Savoy – with
three Michelin stars at the restaurant that bears his
name in the 17th -- adds restaurant Chiberta to his growing
repertoire in Paris and soon, Las Vegas.
Many young French chefs complain that the days in which
unknowns can open a small, family-owned restaurant and
make a success of it – as did Savoy in 1980 --
are over. They also complain that unless you are or have
worked with a Ducasse, a Robuchon, a Savoy or a Pourcel,
your future is dim indeed. The truth of this is yet to
be seen, but it’s clear that restaurant power is
being condensed into a smaller and smaller group, with
little room for the little guy to install, grow, and
flourish.
If you go to Chiberta – totally redone and still
glitzy in stark black, white, and red – you’ll
no doubt meet Franck Savoy, Guy’s only son, and
the spitting image of the little guy who began his climb
back in 1980. Franck is in the dining room and will soon
move to Las Vegas to direct the restaurant there.
But back at Chiberta, the place has regained the glamour
and the popularity it had in years back, and since its
opening in late August, its been playing to a packed
house.
I am not sure that Savoy still drives his truck back
from the market every day, but he’s dreaming up
new ideas every day, as the new menu shows. There are,
as always, his signature touches of green, brilliant
use of unusual bowls and dishes, and an overall feeling
of freshness. The staff is as accommodating as ever,
and seems to actually love being in the restaurant.
We loved specials of the day that included a stunning
wild mushroom soup, rich, creamy, elegant, just the sort
of dish to escort you from the sunny summer days of tomato,
eggplant and zucchini into autumnal wild mushrooms, leeks,
and potatoes. Equally luscious was the platter of perfectly
seared girolles mushrooms. I loved my rare-roasted pigeon,
cut open down the back and seared “en crapaudine,” paired
with an unusual but successful accompaniment of green
beans tossed with a creamy mix of pigeon liver. We’re
at the height of the French fig season, and warm figs
with almond ice cream were better than an icing on a
cake.
Wines here are reasonably priced with an excellent
28 € white Côtes-du-Rhone from Domaine de
la Janasse, the 2003 a fine southern Rhone with plenty
of verve, fruit and acidity.
But even more stunning was the Domaine d’Aupilhac “Les
Cocalieres,” 2002, winemaker Sylvain Fadat’s
remarkably open, fruity, and lush red from young grapes,
honestly priced at 48 euros.
Chiberta
3, rue Arsène Houssaye
Paris 8
Telephone 01 53 53 42 00
Fax: 01 45 62 85 08
Email: Chiberta@guysavoy.com.
All major credit cards. Closed Saturday lunch and
Sunday. A la carte, 55 to 70 euros, including service
but not wine.
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